Special Project - MK-3A
We wanted an axe for that last splitting of the wood at the fireplace that heats up the Millkeeper's cottage. But we wanted it to have more power than most hand hatchets. Something with a little weight, that gives the flavor of chopping down a big old tree in the woods, but in the comfort of your home. An axe you feel can handle way more if needed - on a wilderness trek, on a hunt, or taking care of a wounded animal on the road.
Inspired by our journey of handmade/local/eco production from the Jöns Glove we decided to go all-in, knowing we would learn a lot.
We spoke to Wetterlings Axes to forge the head for us. With the most traditional methods still in use (in the world) they shaped and hardened the steel to handmade perfection, powered in part by the water running under the blacksmith's buildings.
We decided to paint the head black, by hand, as inspired by an old axe we found in the Wetterlings archives.
The handle was prototyped over and over and over to find a balance between comfort and a pleasing simple shape. Once done, the Smedbergs Brothers in Småland replicated it in their machines with traditional methods and their 70 year experience.
We used Swedish beech which is a tradionally used wood for axes and tools and has a beautiful fair tone. A transperant wax seals the wood without darkening its natural colour.
The leather sheath is made from Swedish cow, and treated by the Tärnsjö tannery in an all-vegetable based tanning process. Then put together by hand.
All in all an amazing learning experience in manufacturing, learning alot about making things proper by our collaborators.
The Erik Axe weighs 1,0kg and measures 35,5 x 17cm. It's named after the hard-working Millkeeper at Boda Mill 1874-1876.
Special Project - MK-2A
Warm spring and summer days. T-shirt (or less) on. Hauling, pulling, chopping, carrying, schlepping, huffing and puffing. Every single time, our arms get shredded. Dumb.
We designed these to meet our own needs, thinking others might have the same problem. Inspired in design by welding gloves, these are guaranteed to shield your skin when you work too hard to notice it’s being badly punished.
We decided to make them as an experiment of ‘doing things right’; all eco, all local, all hand made. A little complicated, a little harder but on the other hand they turned out just the way we wanted them.
Leather made from Swedish cows, roaming the fields nearby the tannery. An entirely ecological tanning process at Tärnsjö Garveri in Sweden. Then cut and sown by expert leather seamstresses, again nearby.
Made entirely and lovingly by hand. Every single production act carried out no more than 2 hours away from Millkeeper HQ.
We hope you will agree it was worth it. And we hope they will protect you many a hard work day ahead.
(Jöns was the hard-working Millkeeper at Boda Mill 1780-1806.)
Ventilation technology, left....
...and right.
